1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic ammunition loading system for a large caliber cannon, and more particularly to such a system which delivers a series of fixed ammunition cartridges from a system magazine to the breech of the cannon at any current cannon elevation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ammunition round generally consists of a projectile, a propelling charge and a primer. Large caliber ammunition usually falls into two categories. Separate ammunition is the term applied to ammunition in which all three parts are separate and are brought together only at the breech of a cannon. Semi-fixed ammunition is the term applied to ammunition wherein the projectile is separate but the propellant and the primer are fixed together. Fixed ammunition is the type wherein all three of the component parts of the ammunition are fixed together as a unit. Some large caliber ammunition is of the fixed type although the most widely known types of such ammunition are those which are exemplified by rifle or machine gun shells.
Ammunition loading systems for large caliber cannons mounted on a gun carriage are well known. The barrel of such a cannon is generally controllable in elevation on the carriage and the carriage is in turn controllable in azimuth position. Such a cannon is seen in the disclosure of the Girouard et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,930. This disclosure relates to an ammunition handling system wherein a magazine provides both a projectile and a propellant charge to a hoist which lifts the projectile and the charge together upwardly to a carrier. The carrier receives the projectile and the charge together and rotates to the azimuth position of the gun carriage. When the carrier reaches the gun azimuth position, a projectile and charge, referred to as a round hereinafter, is received from the carrier by a cradle on the gun carriage. The cradle is elevated about the gun support trunnions to a position such that the round is adjacent the rear of the gun and the cradle axis is parallel to the axis of the gun bore. The round is transferred from the cradle to a transfer tray and the tray is then swung downwardly to a position which is coaxial with the bore of the gun. The round is then rammed into the breech to complete the transfer from magazine to the gun breech.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,967 issued to Johnson et al discloses a system for delivering semi-fixed rounds of ammunition from a magazine to the breech of a large caliber gun movable in azimuth and elevation. The magazine includes drum type holders for projectiles and propellant charges which deliver both a projectile and a propellant charge together to a lower hoist. The lower hoist lifts the round to a movable carrier. The carrier is caused to rotate about the gun azimuth axis and to deliver the round to an upper hoist. The upper hoist rotates with the gun carriage and delivers the round to a swinging cradle which carries the round to a position where it is delivered to a transfer tray. The tray moves the round into axial alignment with the bore of the gun and a ram is utilized to insert the round into the gun breech.
An automated large caliber ammunition handling system is disclosed in co-pending continuation patent application Ser. No. 443,341 in which the prosecution is now closed and which is assigned to the Assignee of the invention disclosed herein. A cannon is mounted on a gun carriage and is free to move in elevation on the carriage about an elevation axis. The carriage is controlled in azimuth for gun pointing. A storage drum for holding a plurality of projectiles is mounted on one side of a vertical plane through the gun tube and another storage drum for holding a plurality of charges is mounted on the other side of the vertical plane. Both drums are mounted on the carriage and carry the projectiles and charges with their axes at substantially zero elevation. A projectile tray and a propellant charge tray are positioned to receive the projectiles and their propellant charges from the respective storage drums. The trays are pivotally mounted on cradle arms which move independently about the gun elevation axis on opposite sides of the gun so that the arms may be rotated between a receiving position and a gun loading position. The gun loading position is in alignment with the gun breech. A control is provided which actuates the mechanism components in sequence to transfer the projectiles and charges from the storage drums to the trays, to rotate the trays to the side independently, to rotate the cradle arms to the gun elevation independently, to rotate the trays into alignment with the breech independently and to ram the projectile and charge in sequence into the breech. The control monitors the positions of the system mechanical components and insures an appropriate operating sequence so that a series of ammunition rounds is delivered from the storage drums to the breech.